"Hotter Than Cambodia": Seasonal Workers Endure Brutal August Heat

"Summer in Korea has no wind and takes your breath away. It is even hotter than Cambodia."

On August 4, as a heatwave advisory entered its second week and daytime temperatures were forecast to easily exceed 35°C (95°F), the intense heat wave continued to grip the region.

At an open-air sesame field in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, Nak, a 39-year-old seasonal worker from Cambodia, wiped sweat away with a handkerchief stained white with salt as he made the remarks.

Starting work at 6:00 AM to avoid the scorching daytime hours, he and three fellow workers harvested sesame crops in a 660-square-meter field.

Saying that direct sunlight on the skin feels even hotter, they wore long sleeves, long pants, and even rubber boots, continuously carrying out the grueling task of cutting the sesame plants with sickles and tying them into bundles.

While they cooled off in the shade of a container from time to time, the labor-intensive nature of the work quickly brought them back out to the fields with their sickles.

They tried wearing air-conditioned jackets equipped with fans and even tied parasols to tree branches to create makeshift shade, but these were useless against the blazing sun and the fields, which were heated up as much as asphalt.

Although the government recommends installing shading structures at every workplace, rural areas with many elderly residents lack the manpower to set up tents, and fields are densely planted with crops, leaving little space to erect shades.

Instead of shading structures, farmers are desperately trying to reduce heatwave damage by taking workers to warehouses equipped with air conditioners or fans every hour, or handing out ice water brought in iceboxes.

Wiping sweat continually streaming down his face, 51-year-old sesame field owner Oh said, "If the weather gradually grew hotter, our bodies would adapt, but it suddenly became hot, making it too difficult." He added, "I have been farming for 20 years, but this summer feels uniquely harder."

After finishing the harvest, the workers ate lunch and then moved on to transporting the bundled sesame plants into a vinyl greenhouse.

Enclosed entirely by plastic with no airflow, the greenhouse became stiflingly hot after just a brief moment inside, causing sweat to pour down like rain.

Sina, a 39-year-old Cambodian who entered the country as a public seasonal worker for the third consecutive year, said, "I thought I would get used to it if I came to Korea often, but every year feels just as hot." He added, "I have been to Daegu and other regions, and everywhere seems equally hot."

According to North Chungcheong Province, the cumulative number of heat-related illness patients reached 92 from May 15, when the tracking of heat-related illness cases for this summer began, through the previous day.

By region, Cheongju recorded the highest number with 33, followed by Jecheon with 11, Goesan with 10, Okcheon and Yeongdong with 8 each, Eumseong with 7, Chungju with 5, Boeun with 4, and Danyang and Jincheon with 3 each.

Looking at locations, outdoor workplaces accounted for the largest share with 73 people.

An official from North Chungcheong Province urged, "As the heatwave is expected to persist for the time being, it is necessary to provide workers with sufficient water during work and distribute personal cooling gear." They added, "Please strictly follow safety guidelines, such as adjusting working hours when heatwave advisories are issued."

The official also noted, "If symptoms suspected of heat-related illness, such as dizziness or headaches, appear, you must immediately move to a cool place and call 119."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.